Planning permission in Preston
Preston City Council decides planning applications in Preston. This page shows the protected areas that affect what homeowners can build without planning permission, and the planning data Preston publishes.
Conservation areas
Preston has 11 conservation areas. In a conservation area, permitted development rights are reduced: side extensions, two-storey extensions, loft dormers and cladding all need planning permission, and many councils add Article 4 directions on top.
- Ashton Conservation Area
- Avenham Conservation Area
- Deepdale Enclosure Conservation Area
- Fishergate Hill Conservation Area
- Fulwood Conservation Area
- Harris Childrens Home Conservation Area
- Inglewhite Conservation Area
- Market Place Conservation Area
- Moor Park Conservation Area
- St Ignatius Square Conservation Area
- Winckley Square Conservation Area
Read more: extensions, loft dormers, garden rooms and solar panels in a conservation area.
Article 4 directions
Preston hasn't published its Article 4 boundaries as data. Preston's website lists Article 4 directions in the Avenham, Fishergate Hill, Fulwood and St Ignatius Square conservation areas, plus directions for houses in multiple occupation (which don't affect home extensions).
Read Preston's Article 4 page (checked 29 October 2026).
What is an Article 4 direction?
National parks, National Landscapes and green belt
- National Landscape (Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) in or bordering Preston: Forest of Bowland.
- There is green belt in or bordering Preston. Householder permitted development rights apply as normal in the green belt, but if you need planning permission, green belt policy limits how much a home can be enlarged.
National parks and National Landscapes restrict permitted development in similar ways to conservation areas. Read more: extensions, loft dormers and garden rooms.
Listed buildings and protected trees
Listed buildings everywhere in England are recorded by Historic England, and the checker looks for them at every address. Preston doesn't publish listed building outlines, so where a listed building is recorded near an address, we ask the homeowner to check whether it's theirs.
Preston doesn't publish its tree preservation orders as data. If there are mature trees near your project, ask the council whether any are protected before you start.
What Preston publishes
| Data | Status | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Conservation area boundaries | Published | 11 |
| Article 4 direction boundaries | Not published | 0 |
| Listed building outlines | Not published | 0 |
| Tree preservation order areas | Not published | 0 |
| Protected trees | Not published | 0 |
Planning work on a home in Preston? Put a pin on your house and we'll check it against all of this.
Start a checkData from planning.data.gov.uk, published by Preston City Council and national bodies under the Open Government Licence, last updated here on 30 October 2026. Preston City Council website.